Sara was busy in the kitchen making lunch while Shadow was on the living room floor with their little girl stretched out before him. She was almost three months old and already well able to sit up without support. Right now, though, Shadow was holding a hand ominously over her belly.
"Here it comes...!" he said in a hushed but anxious whisper. He then rushed his fingertips to her tummy and tickled her ever so lightly, causing fits of giggles. He brought his hand back to the starting position and eyed Maria as he did so. He repeated the "battle cry" and tickling in a machine-like rhythm, achieving the same results. He tried altering the "attack," sometimes giving the battle cry and not going through with the tickling fingers. Either way, she would laugh.
"Easily amused, isn't she?" Sara lowered herself so she was perched on her heels next to Shadow, while smiling at Maria.
"Yeah." Shadow stroked her very fine belly fur. He marveled at how small and soft she was on a daily basis, even though she'd grown considerably from her birth.
"So are you." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She chuckled lightly, "Now what's that look for?"
Shadow blinked a couple times, trying to think how to respond. "I'm not simple-minded, you know…."
"Yeah. Nothing wrong with being easily amused. It's good to enjoy the little things." Sara slipped to her knees and then folded her arms around Maria. She sealed her lips to her belly, then gave a puff of air which created an almost-farting noise. Giggling met her ears. "Hee…you like zerberts, do you?"
"Little things...huh..." Shadow smiled at Sara. He was definitely attentive to the little things about her, at least. Her brown bangs often fell out of place in one way or another. He noticed that. He noticed that she was no longer wearing that damnable rainbow sleeve anymore. He really liked her arms bare much better.
Sara lay down on the floor, half curled around the babe, and looked at Shadow with a smile planted on her face. "Just a normal life."
"Huh?"
"Sometimes I think things strike you as odd because you're not used to them...not because they are odd. Like Maria's reactions." She managed a few giggles from the girl. "You can't study for life forever, just gotta live it."
Shadow relaxed a bit. She had a way of answering questions he wanted to ask or didn't know how to. "Can I study as I go?" he asked mildly as though she hadn't even phased him.
"Mmm...maybe." Sara got up off the floor in time for a timer to go off. "Sounds like the corn muffins are done; a few minutes to cool and we can eat." An ear twitched thoughtfully. "Could you check the mail, hon?"
"Sure." Shadow picked Maria up off the floor, along with a plush Care Bear that she liked to snuggle up with. He set her down in her crib along with the classic Share Bear before sprinting off to the mailbox.
"Hey, Shadow!" Sonic piped up, already at the box for his and Amy's apartment.
"...Hi," He replied with much less enthusiasm.
"Nnneh... Nothing but ads." Sonic shrugged.
"You mean you don't get thousands of fan mails?" he said dryly as he opened the box.
"Oh, I get them too, but they go to a P.O. box." Sonic shrugged. "Anythin' interesting? Vinnie's Pizza has some new coupons. Two larges with the works for $13.99."
Shadow winced. "How is Tony anyway?" he asked dryly.
"Eh? He's good. You know each other?" Sonic scratched behind one ear.
"...Ass..." He tried to pay attention to the handful of mail he'd pried from the box.
"Oh right right! Sorry, just...I get to talking with him and he's like...not someone you'd like to be around." Sonic laughed.
"Like you?" He started back up the stairs, only to have Sonic follow.
"So how's my cousin?" Sonic smiled and fell into step next to Shadow.
"Fine..."
"And Maria?"
"...Also fine."
"...The apartment?"
"...Not far enough away from you," He breathed through gritted teeth.
"So I see ya blew off the anger management classes." Sonic shrugged. No reply. "Huh. So what are you and Sara doin' for eats today?"
"Why are you so nosey?" Shadows ear twitched in irritation.
"Nn...Amy burned the meatloaf so I was kinda heading to you guys' place anyway...heh. Amy wanted to know if you guys could share or we could like, go out."
Shadow sighed. "It's up to Sara."
"Cool! See ya!" Sonic took off down the hall, leaving Shadow with an ominously doomed feeling. So much for just the two of them.
"Sara?" Shadow's ear twitched, slightly annoyed. He'd hardly paid attention to the mail as he set it down on a catch-all table as he entered.
"Yeah?" He found her at the table, just setting up.
"Get more plates. Amy and Sonic are coming." He shrugged and went to the kitchen to grab extra silverware.
"Huh?" She blinked, knowing his general annoyance at her cousin. "Well that's sudden…."
"Yeah. Sonic invited himself as usual," he snorted in reply.
"Uh huh..." She decided not to push the issue and grabbed a couple of extra plates. "Anything interesting in the mail?"
"Huh? Oh...mostly ads." He finally gave her some of his attention, and his thoughts of pounding Sonic into a paste became a much more distant notion. Now his annoyance became knowing they wouldn't be alone on his day off. Shadow sighed. He wanted to keep her all to himself, and now blue boy was just getting in the way, as usual.
"I'll check 'em out after lunch then. Just a couple more points to go, and we have a free Wok meal coming," she commented as she started setting the table, putting the fresh cornbread down with a towel over it.
He didn't have long to wait before there was a knock at the door, and of course he had to answer it. "Hey..." Shadow managed. He caught sight of a deep purple hedgehog seated in Amy's arms. Blitz. "Come in."
"Thank you, Shadow." Amy said politely and elbowed Sonic to give similar gratitude. "I'm really sorry to impose...and I was really looking forward to the meatloaf too!" she lamented.
"Hi, Amy! Sonic!" Sara smiled and gave focus to the baby in her arms. "Aww! Is that Blitz?" The pink hedgehog nodded. "He's so cute!"
Sonic and Shadow both rolled their eyes. Shadow caught this and instantly regretted having any common ground with him. "So what's grub?" Sonic asked impatiently.
"Ohh Just a hobo dinner with cornbread," Sara commented. "Shouldn't Blitz take a nap?"
Amy nodded and headed to put Blitz to bed. After all the little things were out of the way, grace was said and the meal eaten in relative silence. It might not have been Sonic's choice, but it wasn't burnt. He really was hoping for some of Vinnie's Pizza, even though he worked there. At least he wasn't fighting with Shadow, who preferred to pretend he wasn't there, until he spoke up, at least.
"So what're you planning on doing when Uncle Chuck arrives?" the Blue Blur asked with some cornbread still stuffed in his mouth.
Shadow's jaw just hung open and Sara looked surprised. "Eh? Dad's coming? When?" the sky blue hedgehog queried.
"It was in the mail. Shadow gave it to you, right?"
She glanced back at the catch-all table. "Musta been mixed in with all the ads," Sara said, then brightened. "Daddy hasn't seen the kids, has he?"
"Nope. That's why he's comin'." Sonic grinned.
"Where's he staying...?" Shadow asked in an even tone.
"With you guys," he replied simply.
Shadow's mind began racing. It wasn't that he didn't like Charles, but, staying... at his house... He glanced at Sara, already sensing intimacy time slipping far out of his grasp. "...How long?"
"Week or two." Sonic shrugged. "He's really looking forward to seeing Maria."
A couple of weeks. It wouldn't be so bad. "Right…." He looked at the smile on Sara's face as she started chatting with Amy about the impending visit. If it put her in a good mood, it couldn't be all bad. She had lived under her father's roof until he had come along. It really was bold of him to ask to stay the night after bringing her home late from their first date. He'd said no, of course, and had objected to their moving to Station Square... Shadow was a trouble maker, wasn't he? A small smile cracked his lips. Maybe he could get his in-law to stay with Sonic if things got too bad. Now that kind of amused him.
"I can't wait!" Sara beamed. She then seemed to think of every little cleaning and home-improvement project that hadn't been finished. "Ahhh...it'll be okay, right, Shadow-kun?#1" Sara liked the Japanese language, so she'd started incorporating bits of into daily speech, especially in front of Maria. He gave a warning glance at Sonic who had started to snicker at the term of endearment. He was quite relieved she hadn't called him "chan.#2"
"...Yeah...fine." Maria's cries graced his ears, finally, and Shadow used her to excuse himself from the company.
#1-kun A Japanese honorific, usually given to school boys, or a male who is younger than you. Can be seen as an insult if said to someone older. "-san" is much more generic and won't get people pissed at you. ;
#2-chan Think of it as the female version of -kun. It's typically used on girls, but can also be (by women) used as a term of affection toward someone you like/love (for example, "Sister-chan" or "Brother-chan" in a family situation).